Today's Veterinary Business

AUG 2018

Today’s Veterinary Business provides information and resources designed to help veterinarians and office management improve the financial performance of their practices, allowing them to increase the level of patient care and client service.

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of care maintained if properly trained and
credentialed veterinary technicians were able
to utilize virtual care technologies.
Granted, some animal health issues
cannot be resolved by digital communication
alone. They might require hands-on treat-
ment, but those hands don't necessarily have
to be a veterinarian's. Routine procedures like
anal gland expression, administering subcuta-
neous fluids or medications, or monitoring pa-
rameters such as blood pressure can be done
by an appropriately trained veterinary tech-
nician. Yet, the practice acts in some states do
not permit veterinary technicians to perform
these procedures in the animal's home if a
veterinarian is not supervising.
Should regulations be changed to allow
veterinary technicians to practice a range of
services so long as the veterinarian is consult-
ed through electronic means, then we can see
that pets now going without health care will
be in a better position because of the reduced
cost associated with a veterinary technician.
For example, think about geriatric or frac-
tious cats. These animals often lack access to vet-
erinary care because of the difficulty in bringing
them to the clinic and the costs associated with
their routine care. If a nurse could travel to the
pet's home and provide care, then those barriers
to care would be immediately reduced.
An Extension of the Veterinarian
The argument against virtual care in veteri-
nary medicine often boils down to the ques-
tion of whether the VCPR can be established
through virtual care tools in the absence of
a physical examination. It might be true that
virtual care tools provide only part of what
an in-person physical exam can provide, such
as visual and auditory clues and subjective
input from the owner. But a credentialed vet-
erinary technician has the education neces-
sary to fill the gap by serving as the hands,
eyes, ears and nose of the veterinarian while
communicating her findings to the veteri-
narian for a diagnosis.
Such an arrangement is possible for pa-
tients residing in states in which the practice
act allows for credentialed veterinary techni-
cians to provide follow-up care when a rela-
tionship has already been established. In fact,
nurses in human medicine are heavily utilized
in follow-up home care while they maintain
remote access to doctors.
The difference between having credentialed
veterinary technicians or a noncredentialed
person like a pet sitter perform the role is the
educational standard. This is the point in which
the problematic nature of veterinary technician
and nurse credentialing lies. Eleven states do not
license veterinary technicians, and many more
do not restrict use of the title to licensees. Even
in states whose laws dictate use of the title only
by licensees, the laws can be loosely applied.
A Push for Standards
The Veterinary Nurse Initiative, launched by
the National Association of Veterinary Tech-
nicians in America, aims to set credentialing
standards throughout the nation. Anyone
using the title "registered veterinary nurse"
— RVN would replace current technician
credentials — would have met education and
training requirements, elevating the baseline
competency level of these individuals.
This is not to mistake, however, the value of
today's credentialed veterinary technicians. The
fact is that not every "veterinary technician" is
created equal. The veterinary profession needs to
work toward across-the-board standardization.
As virtual care expands and pet owners
look for more accessible veterinary care, the es-
tablishment of nationally consistent standards
and integration of the role of RVNs is vital so
that pet owner needs are met. Efforts such as
AAVSB's telemedicine guidelines and NAVTA's
Veterinary Nurse Initiative will expand on the
ability of veterinary teams to provide necessary
care to a growing pet owner population.
Innovation Station columnist Dr. Aaron Massecar
is executive director of the Veterinary Innovation
Council. Column contributor Kenichiro Yagi prac-
tices at Adobe Animal Hospital in California and
is a member at large with the National Associa-
tion of Veterinary Technicians in America.
It might be true that virtual care tools provide only part of
what an in-person physical exam can provide, such as visual
and auditory clues and subjective input from the owner.
But a credentialed veterinary technician has the education
necessary to fill the gap by serving as the hands, eyes, ears
and nose of the veterinarian while communicating her
findings to the veterinarian for a diagnosis.